Minibus Fleet to Cut £55m Transport Bill Delayed Until October

They bought about fifty vehicles. These were for kids with special needs. The council wanted to lower transport costs. It moves these children to and from school.

Fitting out the vans took longer than expected. This added to delivery delays from car companies. A council report mentioned these long delays.

The council’s total transport budget is £55 million this year. This is just for getting kids to school. The council already owns many vehicles. They relied more on private taxis recently.

More kids with SEND need free transport. This is part of their education plans. The SEND transport budget had a £3.1 million overspend. That was as of December 2024.

The overspend was lower than last year. They expected SEND transport to increase by 14 percent. The actual increase was closer to 20 percent. This caused the budget issues.

The council gives money to parents too. These parents take their kids to school themselves. This costs less than private taxis. Over 400 parents do this now.

A council leader said they are handling this well. He says they cope with the budget pressure. They are also creating special units in schools. This lowers the need for travel.

The budget also covers travel passes. These are for students without special needs. They live far from their school. The distance qualifies them for free transport.

The council did not publish the breakdown of costs. It covers both SEND and general transport. Overall pupil transport numbers rose 11 percent. This happened since September.